December 2024 – Brasília, DF, Brazil – On December 5, 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil hosted the 3rd meeting of the Inter-Institutional Surveillance Working Group for Indigenous Territorial Protection under the SAR-TI project – Strengthening Early Warning Systems and Responses to Environmental Crimes Related to Illegal Gold Mining in Indigenous Territories.
UNODC's efforts to combat illegal mining in indigenous territories reflect its global mandate to address crimes affecting the environment, encompassing detection, investigation, and prosecution of such activities. Under the SAR-TI project, UNODC aims to strengthen surveillance systems, early warning mechanisms, and responses to environmental crimes, focusing on illegal gold mining in indigenous territories within the Brazilian Amazon. The 3rd meeting of the Inter-Institutional Surveillance Working Group exemplifies this commitment by bringing together government institutions, indigenous associations, and civil society to promote inclusive governance and the integration of data and strategies.
The meeting gathered 39 representatives from 19 federal institutions and indigenous associations, including the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), the Federal Police (PF), the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), and the Office of the Comptroller General (CGU).
The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss governance experiences and intersectoral coordination in the context of indigenous territorial protection and to explore how government institutions, indigenous associations, organizations, and civil society can effectively collaborate to promote structured and integrated actions for preparedness, monitoring, early warning, and response to environmental crimes in indigenous territories.
During the meeting, results from the mapping and evaluation of existing surveillance processes in these territories were presented. These results were based on activities conducted during the Comprehensive Indigenous Land Protection Course held from October 14 to 17, 2024, in partnership with UNODC, COIAB, and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM).
In addition, UNODC presented a proposed model for a platform that will provide a standardized framework for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on various aspects impacting indigenous territorial protection. This model will guide the work of the Working Group, with the next meeting scheduled for February 2025.
Another highlight of the meeting was the discussion on governance and intersectoral coordination in the context of indigenous territorial protection. Examples of comprehensive and inclusive governance were showcased, including federal government actions to remove illegal settlers in the Yanomami Indigenous Land by the MPI, the role of indigenous organizations in territorial protection and management by COIAB and APIB, the Kanindé Deforestation Monitoring System (SMDK), an initiative by the international non-governmental organization WWF in partnership with the Kanindé Ethno-Environmental Defense Association, and the evaluation process on complaint channels within the framework of indigenous territorial protection conducted by CGU.
SAR-TI – SAR-TI is an initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) of the Italian government. Its main pillar is to support the development of a model and guidelines for structuring surveillance systems, early warning mechanisms, and responses to environmental crimes and other crimes related to illegal gold mining in indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon. The project also seeks to foster integration and enhance the flow of information between systems from various institutions.
